Doubt overshadows Hubble's 15th (Hubble telescope nearing its end?)

BBC News ^ | 04/25/05

[TigerLikesRooster]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4480813.stm

Last Updated: Monday, 25 April, 2005, 13:54 GMT 14:54 UK

 

Doubt overshadows Hubble's 15th

 

A billowing tower of cold gas and dust in the Eagle Nebula. (Image: Nasa, Esa and the Hubble Heritage Team)

The tower in the Eagle Nebula may be a giant incubator for newborn stars

	Hubble is the best mission in Nasa's fleet Steven Beckwith, STScI

Astronomers are this week celebrating the 15th year in space for the Hubble space telescope - perhaps the most successful astronomy mission ever.

But the celebrations are overshadowed by uncertainty over the future of the orbiting observatory.

Nasa's 2006 budget, announced in February, effectively killed off the telescope, but the US space agency's new chief says it may yet be saved.

The Hubble team has released two special images to mark the occasion.

They are new views of two of the best-known objects Hubble has observed.

One is of the spiral galaxy M51 (also known as the whirlpool galaxy). The other shows the Eagle Nebula, a tall, dense tower of gas being sculpted by ultraviolet light from a group of massive, hot stars.

"Hubble is the best mission in Nasa's fleet," commented Steven Beckwith, director of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, US, which operates Hubble.

"It's producing beautiful science that the public loves and it makes us all look great," he told the BBC News website.

Major discoveries

Without servicing of its fading batteries and gyroscopes, the observatory will probably stop taking pictures by 2007 or 2008. To the outrage of many astronomers, Nasa's previous administrator Sean O'Keefe cancelled all plans to repair the telescope.

But now Hubble has been thrown a lifeline: the agency's new chief, Mike Griffin, has pledged to re-visit the decision.

	M51 (the whirlpool galaxy). (Image: Nasa/Esa/Hubble Heritage Team) The whirlpool galaxy's curving arms are home to new stars

Speaking to the BBC News website before the appointment of Dr Griffin as Nasa administrator, Dr Beckwith said: "[Hubble] helps science, it helps other missions and it helps Nasa. So I would hope [Nasa's new administrator] could re-open the question of shuttle-based servicing or robotic servicing - either one."

Since it was launched on 24 April 1990, Hubble has produced over 700,000 images of the Universe. There is a long list of scientific achievements made by scientists using the telescope.

Hubble has helped astronomers calculate the age of the Universe (13.7 billion years old), has helped confirm the existence of dark energy and has gathered evidence that the expansion of the Universe is accelerating.

[AntiGuv]

[AntiGuv]

Hubble ping!

[True Republican Patriot]

The Hubble telescope is AWESOME and it's performance and contributions to Our Knowledge of the Universe beyond Comprehension.The Hubble should be maintained and enhanced until We can no longer.

[Erik Latranyi]

The Hubble telescope is AWESOME and it's performance and contributions to Our Knowledge of the Universe beyond Comprehension.

The typewriter was a great contribution to our society, but we use something better now. Same with Hubble.

[AntiGuv]

[thoughtomator]

Tomorrow's Doonesbury: "Day 1472 of the Hubble Death Watch..."

[C210N]

700,000 images over 15 years equals an image every 12 minutes.

Does it take image after image 24x7? Or is it more limited, to something like 9-5 hours of technicians manning the comm links?

[True Republican Patriot]

Ah Yes, but the typewriter was used for many more than fifteen years until a better tool came along, yet many still use the typewriter because it performs so well yet for specific cases. To my knowledge, no Astronomers have proposed a substitute or replacement with new technology for the Hubble but they do have upgrades and want to maintain the Hubble for years longer. Hence, I'll go with the Hubble and it gives our Astronauts some place to go other than the ISS and their contribution to the Hubble's extended life will reward us with great science. For one, I still like the feel of those typewriter strikes.

[myheroesareDeadandRegistered]

That pic labeled "Deep field" is, in my opinion, the most amazing of all the Hubble pics. We see points of light with our eyes and telescopes. Hubble looks in between those points and sees thousands of galaxies. That little dose of reality is hard to even fathom.

[KevinDavis]

Seeing the pictures from the Hubble is proof enough for me that we are not alone in this universe.

The Hubble did its job and it is time to let go. If people really cared about the Hubble, then they should form a company that will charge people people to use the Hubble, contract a company to maintain the Hubble.

[TXBSAFH]

Hubble has served us well. But it is time to let it go. However I do think that building and launching a new improved Hubble should be a top priority of NASA.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Seeing the pictures from the Hubble is proof enough for me that we are not alone in this universe.

Interesting statment. Although the universe is large, there is nothing whatsoever that can with any degree of certainty argue that there is anything intelligent at all out there.

[wingsof liberty]

Incredible. I have followed the Hubble story ever since it was launched, and its achievments are truly awesome. What I dont understand is why they cant raise money to fix it. Many say "Its not in NASAs budget." So whats wrong with raising private funds from all the scientists who want to save it? I bet they would pony up tens, if not hundreds of millions to fund a repair mission, but since I have not heard a word about this I am guessing its not an option. Does anyone know why??

[KevinDavis]

They like to spend Other People Money.. Most of the scientist hates the man space program and they think that space is thier personal playground...

[hershey]

Jaw-dropping, eye-popping pictures, as always! Let's hope Griffin decides Hubble is worth repairing. (There's nothing worse than ignorance.)

[AntiGuv]

It's painful for me to let the Hubble go, and I'm just a dazzled bystander. That being said, it's amazing to think that Hubble was designed in the 1970s; all this glorious capability is nonetheless 30 years behind what we could do now. So, it's time to put up a new orbiting observatory IMO and let Hubble go, but I don't think it should be before we have a Next Generation visible spectrum telescope up there. There's so much universe to see and so little time to see it!

PS. There's a 1 in 700 chance Hubble will kill someone at reentry..

[Syntyr]

"PS. There's a 1 in 700 chance Hubble will kill someone at reentry.."

and a 1 in 50000 chance that they will put something else up to replace it before they let her splash.

[KevinDavis]

Hmm I sense a opprotunity to sell some insurance .. Hubble protection insurance..